In April 2021, Andrew Duffield represented Western Australia in the Worldskills Australia National Competition, his selection was based off his results and participation in a regional competition back when he was on his second-year apprenticeship. With most competitors within other states knowing of their selection since mid-2020, an intense training schedule was a must for Andrew.

From June to August, he spent two to three hours most afternoons training at TAFE after 8-10hr days at work and in the leading weeks up to the competition, he would train half-day Saturdays as well. His training was based on previous competition installation plans. His invested time in learning how to bend steel and PVC conduit resulted in scaling and measurements far beyond what he ever expected.

An important part of the proposed design for the competition involved the use of a smart relay, something Andrew was somewhat familiar with but not super confident. However, he was fortunate to have his colleague, Ramen, a Project Engineer from Metrowest, who tutored him multiple times getting familiar and comfortable with the software. Ramen, Jake, and Andrew spent many hours in the site office after hours making sure he understood how and why things worked within this type of programming.

The competition was meant to see all interstate competitors travel to Perth to compete however due to COVID-19 travel restrictions this was not the case. WA was still able showcased all their trades with the electrical category held at CET Joondalup. Andrew was supplied all raw materials, a design, and two days to complete it. He describes the competition as quite challenging but a great way to test his skills and showcase his abilities. The design called for all sorts of skills like the bending of steel and PVC conduit, mounting of electrical accessories, cutting and mounting of different ducts, fitting off electrical accessories, and wiring/termination of switchboards. Despite the time restraints given for work required, Andrew was proud of his achievement in terms of his work and quality.

Two months later on the 27^th of October, amongst other trades, Andrew won the Gold medal for the Electrical Installation category in the Worldskills Australian national competition closing ceremony which was held at the Perth Convention Centre and streamed lived all across Australia. Way to go Andrew!

Andrew mentioned being fortunate to have such amazing and supportive colleagues, and would never have been able to win the medal without them. “With the gold medal on hand, I am waiting to see if I am eligible to represent Australia as part of the Skillaroos team at the 2022 Shanghai Worldskills International Competition.”